Shipping An Item Internationally

[billymac814]

I didn't know where else to put this so I figured this is about the best place.

I recently had an inquiry about a seat for a guy that lives in Australia. I checked UPS and it said 200 dollars!! USPS said 70 which is more reasonable but still pricey and I'm not sure how accurate that was because it was just to Australia and not the actual address. The box would be about 15X15X7 or so and roughly 7or8 lbs. I know some other seat makers do pretty good selling internationally and Id like to be able to. Do the customers just pony up the shipping charges or is there a better way?

[kevinhopkins]

I didn't know where else to put this so I figured this is about the best place.

I recently had an inquiry about a seat for a guy that lives in Australia. I checked UPS and it said 200 dollars!! USPS said 70 which is more reasonable but still pricey and I'm not sure how accurate that was because it was just to Australia and not the actual address. The box would be about 15X15X7 or so and roughly 7or8 lbs. I know some other seat makers do pretty good selling internationally and Id like to be able to. Do the customers just pony up the shipping charges or is there a better way?

Hi.... You want to be careful with shipping overseas, that's for sure. But most of the time, anyone from the country of inquiry already has a pretty good idea of what it's going to cost to get things to them. Just be wary of someone that wants to pay with a credit card and have you had the merchandise to his or her "agent". You might also have to be careful about shipping a seat with exotic leather on it. Customs can be difficult at times. I know shipping skins is a problem, but it might not be if it's incorporated into a finished product. But I'd check with the post office, or who ever you use. We do a fair business with folks overseas, and it can be good, but you do have to be careful. Be wary of someone that seems to have the need to move extremely quickly!

Best wishes!

Kevin

[billymac814]

Thanks Kevin, I've never bought or sold internationally because of that but if they want to pay the shipping I hate to turn anything away. I'm pretty familiar with the "agent" and similar stories. I get them quite often when I list other things on CL.

Do those shipping prices seem accurate? I guess my other concern would be if it was lost or something happens at customs.

[dirtclod]

I send quite a few things out of the country and never have had a problem. Generally you don't need the exact address until you mail it. The county is fine to check on the postage with the post office not sure about UPS, i don't use them because their to expensive. When i get a price i get all three first class priority and express. But with a seat your limited to priority or express because of the weight. Make sure you take the box your going to use and put every thing in it that will be in the box when you mail it. The post office has a size limit to, before they charge a oversize fee. I let them choose the way they want it sent with extra insurance or without. Priority and express mail both come with some insurance but it won't be enough to cover the cost of a seat. Good luck with your sell.

John

[whinewine]

Billy:

you could also try to ship something by seamail. It used to take 3 or 4 months, but it was certainly cheaper than airmail. That used to be an option years & years ago when I did a very small bit of importing in college- I don't know if it still is... You'll need to check with the post office to see- I know for sure they push air, vs sea.

More recently, I sold 2 items to the UK- the shipping charge was $40 USD (I believe a flask & a tankard shipped together)- I think they went by air through USPS (my son handled that transaction).

russ

[bex DK]

The USPS recently made international shipping insanely expensive. The surface option is no longer available--everything is airmail. This changed maybe 2 years ago? It more than doubled the costs and made it unreasonable for us to import many items we used to get from over there.

Considering the weight $70 is probably quite affordable. It is not unusual for my parents to spend more on shipping than on the gifts themselves.

Be sure your customer is aware that he is responsible for all customs and import fees. That is the real kicker usually. When importing to DK, we need to add customs depending on the item type based on value+shipping, an administrative fee (which also might cost more than the item is worth), and 25% tax on top of all that.

If you mark the item as a gift, most countries won't charge import fees unless the value exceeds whatever level they have set. But that isn't really legal. If you do decide to do that despite the legal issues, do NOT include a copy of the bill. Send it in a separate envelope or only electronically. Wrapping it as a gift might help too.

You will want to be sure to insure it and set the item value appropriately. Undervalue items at your own risk but I advise against overvaluing as well becaus that increases the risk of the item going into customs. Be sure to make the listing on the package very clear as to content type. We had to fight with the PO once to get saddle pads evaluated properly--they had charged us the customs rate for women's clothing, which is much higher. A saddle pad US to DK costs about $60 USD, by the way.

Probably best to verify that the customer is aware of the costs involved and understands that they are responsible for any fees or customs charged. Probably a good idea to call the local embassy to verify that your item can be legally imported there. I think Australia is pretty strict and animal products are one of the most moderated items, but we've had no problems sending leather presents to the US and receiving leather tack from other here in Denmark.

Good luck expanding your business overseas. For a good item that cannot be obtained locally, it is often worth the high costs involved for the customer. But not all buyers are aware of how high these costs really are. We generally only buy things if we are really willing to pay twice the cost on items over $50 and even more for less expensive items.

[Denise]

Besides the regular (super high) costs of couriers, they also charge a brokerage fee at the other end to the customer for taking things across the border. The Canadian (and I assume US) post offices do not charge this fee, so that is a savings. Customs and taxes apply at the other end and I see it as your customer's responsibility to know about that, though if you ship a lot to one country you may want to have that information on hand to give them.

We always fully insure all parcels of value. It isn't that much more from the post office (it is by bus or couriers) and I believe it is less likely to be "lost" if it has that insurance sticker on it. I think they take a bit more care with those.

[billymac814]

Wow, thanks everyone, although the more info I get the more confused I am. So when are all these other fees paid? Is that on the other end and not when I ship it? I want to make sure I don't have any suprise costs that I have to take care of.

Russ, I'm from Altoona too.

[Denise]

Insurance, at least in Canada, is paid on your end and should be included your quote for shipping. Everything else that I know about is paid on the other end, but the more you can tell your customer about what they should expect that way, the more they appreciate you. You may not know specifics, but you should at least warn them that they are responsible for all customs and taxes their government applies, plus the brokerage fees if you go the route of a courier.

[dirtclod]

The customer pays you for the insurance and you buy it for them when the package is mailed. I sent a $50.00 package to Canada this week by priority mail $20.00 and it came with $60.00 worth insurance i belive. In all of the packages i have sent all over Europe, Canada and New Zealand i had one person say they didn't get their order and that was in the UK. It wasn't insured and i made another one and sent it. After that i make it real clear that it's their baby if they don't want insurance and it gets lost.

Filling out the customs forms are the worst thing. Make sure you get the right form when you go to the post office to check postage cost. It's one type for first class mail another for priority mail and let another one for express mail.

Customers don't have to pay a brokeage in Canada if it's sent through the post office UPS charges a extra $20.00 fee if you send something bu them. Or at least that's what a customer from Canada told me.